The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has tested the use of a robot dog – named Spot – for maintenance in high risk environments.
It ran the trials with manufacturer Dynamics and engineering consultancy Createc at the decommissioned Calder Hall nuclear power station with a view to using the dog at the Sellafield nuclear power plant.
This has led to indications that the device is being considered for use as part of Sellafield’s remote operations capability.
Rav Chunilal, head of robotics and artificial intelligence for Sellafield Ltd, said: “Robots like Spot are an integral part of our future. They offer us a way of getting jobs done in hazardous environments while keeping people out of harm’s way.
“Robots are excellent at performing repetitive and time consuming tasks. This allows us to free up our people to undertake more fulfilling work contributing to our purpose: creating a clean and safe environment for future generations.
“Spot’s active demonstration has given us great insight into its capabilities. We’ll now study the findings before we take a decision on whether to deploy this technology at Sellafield.”
UKAEA’s Remote Applications in Challenging Environment (RACE) team owns two spot devices that it has used in industrial locations where it is difficult or unsafe to send humans.
RACE’s Guy Burroughes commented: “We’ve been using Spot for over a year in our work to develop robotics for challenging environments like nuclear facilities. We were delighted to bring this experience to support the trials at Sellafield and hope it can lead to safer, more efficient decommissioning.”
Image from GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0
